Hernandez Govan stood trial in Memphis this week as jurors began deliberating whether he arranged the 2021 murder of rapper Young Dolph for $100,000.
Hernandez Govan sat at the center of a Memphis courtroom on Wednesday as jurors began weighing whether he orchestrated the 2021 ambush that left Young Dolph dead inside his favorite cookie shop.
Prosecutors say Govan acted as the go-between in a $100,000 murder-for-hire plot that targeted the rapper during a visit home for a Thanksgiving charity event.
The 45-year-old is accused of coordinating with Yo Gotti’s older brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims and two shooters, including Cornelius Smith Jr., who admitted to pulling the trigger and took the stand against him.
Smith testified that Govan approached him with the offer. He claimed Govan told him to do the hit and promised him a $10,000 cut.
When Govan allegedly learned the rapper would be in Memphis for a turkey giveaway, Smith said Govan wanted to get Dolph before he left Memphis.
The shooting unfolded in broad daylight on November 17, 2021, at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, a Black-owned bakery the rapper often supported.
Surveillance footage showed two men exiting a white Mercedes-Benz and opening fire. The medical examiner said Young Dolph was struck about 20 times.
Prosecutors allege the killing stemmed from a long-standing feud between Paper Route Empire and Yo Gotti‘s Cocaine Muzik Group.
They say Gotti’s team had tried to sign Young Dolph, who refused and opted to build his own label, Paper Route Empire.
Govan’s defense team painted Smith as a “pathological liar” and “unreliable witness,” arguing that he had an incentive to shift blame in exchange for leniency.
Govan faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.